About Us

Our family story

Founded by father and daughter Mark and Samantha Rutter, with the support of other family members, Open Study College has been there for our students since 2007.

Mark had decades of experience within the education industry, in particular distance learning. He is passionate about helping people better themselves and felt there could be so much more he could do to support learners, including offering higher quality courses and tutor support. Together with his daughter, he decided to sacrifice a senior career, sell the family home, and put everything into setting up Open Study College.

In the beginning, the business was being run from the small garage of their family home. Mark and Samantha would offer ICB courses and courses from other providers to students, and with the support of other family members, pack course materials in their garage to send out to students daily, whilst also balancing other jobs to keep the business going. It was certainly a family effort to get the business off the ground with many of those family members still a significant part of the college today.

2009 was a pivotal point within the college, as we started to write and develop our own courses. From then we just grew and grew!

We now have a fantastic team comprising of expert tutors, knowledgeable and friendly education specialists, and a caring learner services team.

Our co-founder and non-executive director, Mark Rutter

We don’t call ourselves the distance learning experts for nothing! Our co-founder and non-executive director, Mark, has been working in the education industry for over three decades, specifically within the distance learning sector. He used that knowledge and experience to set up the foundations of Open Study College with other family members, building it on what he believed the distance learning education industry needed.

Our learner services team

Every one of our team is committed to ensuring you receive the best support possible throughout your study journey. No more so than our learner services team, who will be on hand as well as your tutor, to answer any queries or questions you have.

They are a friendly and patient team who are hardworking and dedicated to ensuring you have the best distance learning study experience.

Our education specialist team

Nothing is more important to us than for you to choose a course that’s right for you. That’s why every member of our team has extensive knowledge of our courses and will advise you on a course that’s right for your future, goals, and career prospects.

They will guide you through the enrolment process, from helping you choose a course to finding the right finance options. Each member of the team is friendly and dedicated to ensuring you pick the option best for you.

Our values

Open Study College was built on family values. Those values have always been at the core of what we do since Mark and Sam founded OSC back in 2007.

Over the last 17 years we have grown to include almost 50 members at OSC HQ, have 19 award wins to date and over 140,000 learners, all of whom we believe are members of the OSC family and together are supported to achieve their ambitions, just like your own family do!

At OSC we empower our family members to move forward with their goals by always having their interests at the heart of what we do. That’s not just our learner members – helping them achieve their ambitions, but also our team members – developing them so they feel fulfilled in their careers.

Learning should be fun. We love enriching people’s lives every day and providing them with the excitement to achieve their dreams.

Our values are excitement, ambition, and togetherness.

Giving back

Here at Open Study College, giving back to the community is something that is really important to us. With ‘Togetherness’ being one of our core values, our feeling of togetherness extends beyond those who work directly at OSC. We are incredibly proud to support a number of charities and good causes. Find out more about the different charities we support and how your enrolment will help.

Helping you to progress

We understand that it’s difficult to make the decision to study a distance learning course. Whether you didn’t get the grades the first time around, looking to change your career, or want to boost your skills, just believe in yourself and we can help you get there.

With Open Study College, you can start from the beginning and work your way up. There is no rush and there is no pressure. You can study your GCSEs right through to level 7 courses, at your own pace and on your own terms!

Study at any age, there really is no limit. If you have any more questions about how distance learning works, visit our FAQs page.